The latest information on the Deep Water Horizon Response:

Important Numbers:

Environmental Hotline/Community Information - 866-448-5816

Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information - 866-448-5816

To volunteer (http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov/) - 866-448-5816

Submit alternative response technology, services or products - 281-366-5511

Assistance Hotline/Boom Reports - 281-366-5511

Vessels of Opportunity (boats) - 281-366-5511

Wildlife Distress Hotline - 866-557-1401

PEC Hotline (Specialty Volunteer Training) - 866-647-2338

Claims Hotline - 800-440-0858

Medical Support Hotline - 888-623-0287

U.S. Coast Guard Joint Information Center - 985-902-5231

BP America Press Office - 281-366-0265

Business Recovery Centers:

Counselors from Louisiana's Small Business Development Centers are available at each center and will provide services that include assessing business economic injury, evaluating the business's strength and cash flow projections, counseling on how to best overcome the effects of the disaster, and most importantly, reviewing options to ensure each business makes decisions that are appropriate for its situation. They will also assist with any SBA or other loan deferment. These counseling services are free.

LSBDC Greater New Orleans Region
UNO Jefferson Center
3330 N. Causeway, Suite 422
Metairie, LA 70002
Mondays through Fridays,
8:30 am - 5 pm

Grand Isle Community Center
The Rotary Room
3811 Highway 1
Grand Isle, LA 70358
Mondays through Fridays,
8 am - 5 pm

For a full listing of the Business Recovery Center, please visit http://www.lsbdc.org/DocumentMaster.aspx?doc=1320.

Latest News:

Rear Admiral Zukunft Provides Update on the Effects of Current Weather (July 1)
Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft provided an update on the effects of severe weather on response efforts. Because of elevated sea states, response crews have not been able to conduct skimming or controlled burn operations; increased wave heights have caused boom to break apart in some areas. Sea states have also delayed the connection of the third vessel, the Helix Producer, to the floating riser pipe-which will bring collection capacity up to 53,000 barrels a day. Storm surges could cause oil to be pushed further into inland areas. The Coast Guard is monitoring the flow of oil and is prepared to deploy additional resources if inland areas are impacted. Weather has not had any impact on the drilling of relief wells.

BP Continues to Optimize Oil Recovery Rates from its Leaking Well (June 28)
Under the direction of the federal government, BP continues to capture some oil and burn gas at the surface using its containment dome technique. BP has finished installing the first free standing riser, which has greater survivability than a fixed riser and will be connected to a third vessel arriving at the site of the wellbore next week, the Helix Producer-a redundancy measure also taken under the direction of the federal government.

Administration Continues to Oversee BP’s Claims Process (June 23)

The administration will continue to hold the responsible parties accountable for repairing the damage, and repaying Americans who’ve suffered a financial loss as a result of the BP oil spill. To date, 69,872 claims have been opened, from which more than $118 million have been disbursed. No claims have been denied to date. There are 730 claims adjusters on the ground. To file a claim, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118. Additional information about the BP claims process and all available avenues of assistance can be found at http://www.disasterassistance.gov/.

By the Numbers to Date:

• The administration has authorized the deployment of 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to respond to this crisis; currently, 1,605 are active.
• Approximately 42,700 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
• More than 6,800 vessels are currently responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts-in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
• Approximately 2.76 million feet of containment boom and 4.92 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill-and approximately 856,000 feet of containment boom and 2.04 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
• More than 28.2 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered. Approximately 1.61 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied-1.03 million on the surface and 577,000 sub-sea. More than 504,000 gallons are available.
• 275 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of approximately 10 million gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife. Because calculations on the volume of oil burned can take more than 48 hours, the reported total volume may not reflect the most recent controlled burns.17 staging areas are in place to protect sensitive shorelines.
• Approximately 423 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled-approximately 259 miles in Louisiana, 48 miles in Mississippi, 47 miles in Alabama, and 69 miles in Florida. These numbers reflect a daily snapshot of shoreline currently experiencing impacts from oil so that planning and field operations can more quickly respond to new impacts; they do not include cumulative impacts to date, or shoreline that has already been cleared.
• Approximately 80,228 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in order to balance economic and public health concerns. More than 66 percent remains open. Details can be found at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/.
• To date, the administration has leveraged assets and skills from numerous foreign countries and international organizations as part of this historic, all-hands-on-deck response, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization and the European Union's Monitoring and Information Centre.

Resources:

• For information about the response effort, visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/.
• For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.
• To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (985) 902-5231.
• To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities can also be found at http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/page/2931/46359/.
• To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call (281) 366-5511.
• To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401. Messages will be checked hourly.
• For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.
• For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.
• For Fish and Wildlife Service updates about response along the Gulf Coast and the status of national wildlife refuges, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill.
• For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/.
• For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
• To file a claim with BP, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP's helpline at (800) 440-0858. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP's resolution, can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found at http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/.
• In addition, http://www.disasterassistance.gov/ has been enhanced to provide a one-stop shop for information on how to file a claim with BP and access additional assistance-available in English and Spanish.
• Any members of the press who encounter response personnel restricting their access or violating the media access policy (http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/posted/2931/MEDIA.582663.PDF) set forth by Admiral Allen should contact the Joint Information Center. For more information, visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/650739/.

For information about the response effort, visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/